{"id":342421,"date":"2025-12-13T10:55:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T10:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/342421\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T10:55:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T10:55:19","slug":"westjet-pauses-installing-non-reclining-seats-after-blowback-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/342421\/","title":{"rendered":"WestJet pauses installing non-reclining seats after blowback \u2014 for now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary-based WestJet<\/a> has paused a move to install non-reclining seats on a big slice of its fleet after pushback from employees and passengers.<\/p>\n

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The airline announced in September it would reconfigure the seating on 43 Boeing 737<\/a> jets to install an extra row and divide the cabin into several tiers, some with more space \u2014 and pricier tickets \u2014 than others.<\/p>\n

Many of the economy seats would have less legroom than the previous layout and feature what WestJet called a \u201cfixed recline design,\u201d meaning they could not be tilted back.<\/p>\n

In an internal memo obtained by The Canadian Press, WestJet vice-president Robert Antoniuk told staff that the new configuration will only go ahead on 22 planes \u201cfor the time being,\u201d with 21 of those already sporting the tighter interior.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the Calgary-based company will conduct a review and \u201ccontinue to gather feedback from guests and employees,\u201d he said in the message Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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The notion that passengers would have to pay for a reclining seat \u2014 or else occupy a static one with less space \u2014 generated some blowback from passengers as well as flight attendants over the past few months.<\/p>\n

In a bulletin to members, the union pointed to reduced leg room \u201ccomparable to ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit, Wizz Air and Frontier.\u201d It said the more cramped conditions made it harder for guests with \u201cvarying mobility,\u201d car seats and pets, on top of limited overhead bin space \u201cdespite an increase in guest capacity,\u201d according to the August update from the WestJet contingent of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.<\/p>\n

The change would raise the risk of \u201cguest frustration\u201d and result in less rest for crew members who would have more difficulty sleeping on board while commuting to an upcoming shift, the union said.<\/p>\n

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WestJet\u2019s decision to hit the brakes on its plan comes a few weeks after representatives from the flight attendants\u2019 and pilots\u2019 unions travelled with company executives in the cheap seats of a scheduled flight from Toronto to Calgary \u201cto gather a shared understanding of the product, the space and the experience,\u201d Antoniuk said in the memo.<\/p>\n

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The pause takes effect right as the holiday travel rush kicks off, with every aircraft in the 189-plane fleet needed for service.<\/p>\n

WestJet said in an email it may resume the seat reconfiguration in the spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout this winter, we will also be monitoring guest feedback and assessing the operational performance of the reconfigured aircraft to learn more about how this product is performing in the market,\u201d said spokeswoman Julia Brunet.<\/p>\n

In September, the airline announced it would create multiple seating tiers on the 43 jets, which included planes from former subsidiary Swoop Airlines, the newly integrated Sunwing Airlines and the now-defunct Lynx Air.<\/p>\n

Most of those cabins had no premium economy seats.<\/p>\n

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The plan was to install a dozen premium seats and 36 more so-called extended comfort seats that would include more space and higher prices, as well as more than 100 seats with less leg room.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe layout for our refreshed cabin caters to our guests\u2019 diverse preferences. Whether they opt for premium seating with extra amenities and legroom or for more affordable ticket prices with less space, we\u2019re excited to introduce this range of products for our guests to enjoy,\u201d said chief experience officer Samantha Taylor in a news release at the time.<\/p>\n

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Some took a more skeptical view.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re anything over five-foot-ten, your knees are under your chin,\u201d said John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re dense-ing up the airplane.\u201d<\/p>\n

The altered layout fits into a broader pattern across the industry whereby economy-class trips are defined by shrinking legroom, narrower cushion space and, especially, myriad fees as airlines increasingly offer top-up options on their tickets.<\/p>\n

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The extra money passengers pay for checked bags, pre-selected seats and onboard snacks makes up a growing share of airline revenue, raising questions of whether the charges amount to \u201cjunk fees\u201d or the lower base price offers greater choice for travellers.<\/p>\n

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Popularized by budget carriers more than 15 years ago and now being adopted by larger players, so-called ancillary revenue plays an increasingly critical role in the industry, helping to diversify income and insulate companies from fluctuations in fare prices, fuel costs and competition.<\/p>\n

Last year, WestJet introduced its new \u201cextended comfort\u201d service tier where economy-class passengers can pay for more legroom, early access to overhead bins and a free alcoholic drink.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a way of getting people to opt for those more expensive seats. You simply make the comfort differential greater,\u201d said Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba\u2019s transport institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some people who really don\u2019t have the money, they may appreciate the option of, \u2018I\u2019ll just travel with the bare bones,’\u201d he added, referring to non-reclining seats, which comprise the bulk of the cabin on the 22 revamped WestJet planes.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t&copy 2025 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Calgary-based WestJet has paused a move to install non-reclining seats on a big slice of its fleet after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[149623,45,49,48,1849,134,49809],"class_list":["post-342421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-boeing-737","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-consumer","tag-money","tag-westjet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}